Forest Knowledge Gateway
Forest restoration and integrative management.

Climate-smart rewilding could transform how Europe restores nature while tackling climate change. A new study presents a practical framework that brings together biodiversity recovery, carbon storage, climate adaptation and societal benefits, helping policymakers identify where rewilding can deliver the greatest impact. Using Europe as a case study, the researchers highlight opportunities to restore abandoned farmland, create ecological corridors that help wildlife adapt to a warming climate and support rural economies through nature-based tourism. At the same time, the framework explicitly addresses trade-offs, including wildfire risks, competing land uses and potential conflicts between recovering predators and livestock farming. Rather than promoting one-size-fits-all restoration, the approach emphasizes locally tailored solutions that balance ecological, climatic and social priorities. The framework provides a powerful decision-making tool for implementing ambitious biodiversity and climate targets while ensuring that restored ecosystems remain resilient, self-sustaining and beneficial for both people and nature.

Four new episodes of WILDCARD: The Forest Game explore how rewilding is reshaping Europe's landscapes in surprising ways. Travel to Portugal, where abandoned farmland is naturally returning to forest; discover a Czech grassland that defied decades of ecological predictions; uncover the hidden world of soil microbes driving forest recovery after wildfires on Mount Vesuvius; and follow the return of wolves and other wildlife as forests reconnect fragmented habitats. Blending compelling storytelling with cutting-edge science, the series reveals that rewilding is far from predictable. Instead, it is a dynamic process shaped by forests, wildlife, soil life and people – offering fresh perspectives on how nature recovers and adapts in a changing world.

As climate change influences forests around the world, "climate-smart forestry" has become a popular concept in science and policy. But what does it actually mean?

A new study reviewed a decade of scientific literature and found that there is no single definition. Instead, climate-smart forestry brings together different ways of thinking about forests and climate change. Some approaches focus on storing more carbon, others on making forests more resilient to droughts, storms and pests, while others emphasize innovation, governance and collaboration.

The study also reveals an important gap: while forests are expected to deliver climate, biodiversity and economic benefits at the same time, questions about who makes decisions, who benefits and who bears the costs receive far less attention.

By identifying four recurring ways of understanding climate-smart forestry, the research offers new insights into one of the most influential concepts shaping the future of forest management.